In the March issue of the SMART Transportation Division News, we celebrate the 100th birthday of former President Al Chesser, the very first elected president of the United Transportation Union. This is a remarkable achievement for a remarkable man! Brother Chesser’s history of commitment and dedication to this organization and all of organized labor is legendary and serves as an inspiration to all who are involved in today’s labor movement.

It was a pleasure to be able to attend this event in person and to extend my congratulations. We wish Al a very happy birthday, with many more to follow.

In prior columns, I have touched on the upcoming conventions for both the SMART Transportation Division and the SMART International. In order to keep our membership updated, I am summarizing here the information recently communicated to our SMART Transportation Division delegates.

All delegates to the SMART Transportation Division Convention from June 30 – July 2 in San Diego have been advised of the importance of attending both of this summer’s conventions and have been informed to also make arrangements to attend the SMART General Convention in Las Vegas from Aug. 11-15.

Any decisions or actions taken by delegates at the Transportation Division Convention with regard to proposed amendments to Article 21B of the SMART Constitution must be properly referred to the delegates at the SMART General Convention for handling before any proposed amendments can become effective. Additionally, all delegates attending the SMART General Convention will be acting upon all proposed constitutional changes properly submitted to the full SMART Constitution, including Article 21B.

Pursuant to Article 33, Sec. 1 (e), lines 19-20, a two-thirds majority of the delegates present at the SMART General Convention is required to enact such amendments.

All delegates properly seated at the Transportation Division Convention will also be seated as delegates at the SMART General Convention, and as such, it is absolutely imperative that they attend the SMART General Convention in order to properly cast their votes on any and all proposed SMART Constitution amendments.

If, for any reason, a local delegate is not able to attend the SMART General Convention in August, it is respectfully requested that measures be taken to allow for the alternate delegate to attend. If neither the delegate nor alternate delegate is able to attend both conventions, it may be necessary to elect a new delegate who will be able to attend both conventions. This will allow for consistent handling of all proposed amendments to Article 21B at the SMART General Convention, as well as making a local’s voice – and votes – count in the handling of all matters before the delegation.

I thank all local officers for their dedication to the organization and all delegates for taking the time to serve our membership at both the Transportation Division Convention and the SMART General Convention.

It is important to remember that the outcome of these conventions will be a constitution that will govern the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers for years to come. The responsibility of preserving the principles on which the organization was founded rests with the officers and delegates and depends on our full participation at both conventions.